


Conversation between Strangers (From Chapter Twenty-one of Company of a Stranger)

by Markov_Debris



Series: Company of a Stranger [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Episode: s03e12-e13 The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords, Gen, Post-Season/Series 02, Spoilers for Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 11:34:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12530392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Markov_Debris/pseuds/Markov_Debris
Summary: During Company of a Stranger the Doctor and Tosh had a discussion about Ianto and the Year that Never was, this is what the Doctor told her.





	Conversation between Strangers (From Chapter Twenty-one of Company of a Stranger)

**Author's Note:**

> Note, the elements from chapter Twenty-one are highlighted in bold so that you know where this conversation slots in.

**“What are you doing here?” Toshiko demanded.**

**“The same as you, looking after Ianto.”**

**“Why?” she asked lowering her gun.**

**“It’s complicated.”**

**“And if you care about his wellbeing as you claim you will explain anyway,” Tosh replied.**

“The thing with time travel is that linear time becomes subjective.  I can be in the past one day then the future, the past, the present the future again and not just on earth.

“Look this is going to be a long story and guns make me nervous and I could really do with a cup of tea,” the Doctor said suddenly changing tone.  “I mean you no harm I promise.”

Toshiko looked from him to the bedroom and back before lowering the gun.  She led him to the kitchen to make tea.

“In a few months time I’m going to meet a girl.  She’s brilliant, wonderful and I’m going to take her travelling through time and space.”

“What’s her name?” she asked.

“Best I don’t say.  See I’m not meant to be here.  I’m causing a potential paradox and it’s... I shouldn’t...” he trailed off uncomfortable.

“Okay,” Toshiko said warily putting the tea down in front of her.

“So my friend and I are travelling all over the place until we came to Cardiff a few days ago.”

“And met Jack,” she said suddenly making the Time Lord smile.

“Yes.  From Cardiff we travelled to the distant future.  There we met a man...

“Look I know I need to explain all this to you, I know you won’t let me help Ianto if I don’t but you have to promise to keep this a secret.  Like I said I’m not supposed to be here, no one can know.  If possible I don’t even want Ianto to know that you know, although Ianto does know I’m here.”

“The future’s at stake?” she asked and he nodded.  “Then I will try my best, I promise to keep your presence and what you tell me a secret,” she added with conviction and the Time Lord relaxed.

“The man I met calls himself the Master.  He was in disguise but he was a member of my own race.  He stole my time machine but I locked the co-ordinates so that he could only travel between the future and now.

“He arrived over a year ago and he has plans to take over the universe.  He’s using alien technology to make your people pliant to his will.

“A few days after I meet my friend he succeeds in taking over the Earth.  He turns my time machine into a paradox machine so that he can bring soldiers from the future to enslave you.

“I got back in time for him to take over.  I became his prisoner and I had to rely on my friend to set things in motion to stop him.

“When we were ready we stopped the Master and destroyed the paradox machine.  Time reverses and your planet’s enslavement never happens and you have a new future,” his voice changed from sorrow to hope.

“And what has this to do with Ianto?” she asked concerned.

“A year ago the Torchwood Institute in London was at the height of its power.  Despite his subversion technology the discrepancies in his background did not go unnoticed by one of their researchers,” the Doctor told her his eyes flicking to the bedroom.

“Ianto,” she breathed.  He gave her a few moments to think on his words as he realised he was wandered into a dangerous area.

Ianto was born near the rift.  Evolution in reaction to its presence gave him an above average level of psychic ability.  It also gave him an air of calm that went further than personality.  It made him capable of silencing a mad Time Lord’s drums.

“They brought him in but he used his ability to influence.  He convinced them he could be a powerful ally and gave them something they wanted,” _increased psychic abilities in their operatives_.  “He also asked to meet the man who found him.”

Tosh was silently thinking again.  The Doctor almost smiled that she didn’t bother to ask if they gave the Master what he wanted.

“He desired Ianto instantly,” _that’s true though not just as she thinks.  Who wouldn’t want someone who stilled your madness?_

“Did he...” she asked horrified.

“No not yet.  I never thought I’d be glad of the Institute for anything, but they protected him from that.

“Until I meet my friend the Master has to avoid my notice.  He has to appear human.  The Institute was big and powerful and he couldn’t afford to let them see weakness, couldn’t let them have a hold over him.  So Ianto was safe.

“He used Ianto’s mind to help perfect his influencing technology and he put certain suggestions into Ianto’s subconscious.  When victory was achieved, when the Earth was his Ianto was to go to him,” the Doctor told her and tried not to feel guilty.

_Subconscious controls were not the only thing done to Ianto’s mind.  His psychic powers were accelerated._

“Does he?” Tosh asked in alarm.

“No.  There were two important things about Ianto that the Master didn’t know.  He didn’t know about the Battle of Canary Wharf and he didn’t understand the power of his love for Lisa.

“Trauma and love over road the Master’s conditioning.  Saving Lisa and bringing her here were both things he would have left commands behind to prevent.”

_The fact that Ianto tried to destroy his own psychic abilities in order to survive the horror of the Battle also helped._

“In coming here Ianto swapped one protector for another,” the Doctor told her.

“Torchwood Cardiff?” she asked.

“Jack.  The Master needed Jack to leave with me.  He couldn’t allow him to have any suspicions, not about him and not about Ianto.

“The Master had agents to find out where Ianto had gone.  While under Jack’s wing he became untouchable again,” the Time Lord reassured her, however there was a look of remembrance in her eye that made him wonder if the Master had gotten his spies to do more than just watch.

“It has also given Ianto the time he needed to remake himself, heal himself.  His feelings for Jack are certainly his and none of the Master’s influence,” the Doctor added as he wondered Gwen’s accusation might be making the Technical Genius wonder.

“That’s where he was going tonight wasn’t it?  You stopped him,” Tosh said horrified.

“Ianto has a strong mind and a strong will.  He’s been resisting quite well on his own.

“Heartbreak, Gwen’s attack, the fire to remind him of Canary Wharf, all combined and those subconscious commands took control.

“I’ve been complacent.  I thought that because I knew he didn’t go to the Master that he was no longer influenced by what the Master did,” the Doctor confessed hanging his head.

“So you are Ianto’s new protector,” Toshiko stated but the Time Lord shook his head sadly.

“Ianto shouldn’t need one.  I cannot stay and I certainly cannot be here when the Master tries to take over.  Every moment I’m here I risk giving into temptation and causing a paradox of my own.  Ianto has to be a part of Torchwood when the Master makes his move.  You and the others have to find a way without doing so because of me and my tales of different timelines.”

“What happens to Ianto in your alternative timeline?” she asked.

“Toshiko...”

“Tell me,” she said harshly.  Instinctively she knew that whatever this prevented future was it wasn’t good.

“Ianto was tortured, raped and killed in front of everyone.  Punished for choosing Jack over the Master.

“Only his mind was linked to the suppression field before he was killed.  It kept an echo of his memories alive.

“I told you my friend escaped to organise a counter attack?” he waited for Tosh to nod before continuing.  “One day she was trapped.  The Master intended to destroy a whole city to stop her.

“Ianto’s shade intervened, used the power of the suppression field to magnify himself, create a distraction long enough for her to escape.  He saved her, saved your planet,” the look in the Doctor’s eye let her know exactly what kind of distraction Ianto had created.

“He spoke to me before the Master wiped his consciousness from the network.  He gave the last of himself for your planet thinking himself unimportant.  His last thoughts were of Jack.”

_When this is over let him find happiness_

The Doctor closed his eyes and took deep breaths to steady himself.  When he opened them to look at Toshiko Sato she was weeping.

 

**“I’m now supposed to forget that?” she asked calming herself with a sip of the tea she had made them.**

**“Right now it is something that is going to happen and never going to happen.  You must try not to let what I said rule your decisions.  I know it’s not easy.  I remember it so clearly but I have to ignore it to or risk something worse happening,” the Doctor told her sadly.**

**“The Master and I were friends once.  We were at the academy together before we went our separate ways with our separate philosophies.**

**“I’m the last of my kind, or will be soon.  It’s so tempting just to...” the Doctor reached out with his hand as though to grab something and Toshiko took it.**

**All his stories about alternative times and dark fates might be a bit much for her to take in but loneliness she understood.  The small gesture was enough to allow him to relax a little.**

**“What happened to Ianto was one of the hardest things I had to forgive him for,” the Doctor said quietly.**

**“You forgave him,” Tosh said in disbelief.**

**“Punishment and revenge would have only caused more pain.  Don’t you feel better knowing Jack forgave you for opening the rift?  I know your friend Owen is clinging to his forgiveness,” at his words her eyebrow rose but she said nothing.**

**“With forgiveness comes healing not just for the one being forgiven but for yourself.  I’m the Doctor, one who makes things better,” he said almost to himself.**

**“I’m sorry but I’m not sure I’m capable of forgiving that,” she said quietly.**

**“Well if things turn out the way they’re supposed to then you will never have to,” he replied and she smiled.**

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that you enjoyed this conversation.  
> If you follow the series link for Company of a Stranger, Company of Ghosts and Strangers or the Company Series then then next story is the one-shot Puck the Cupid, followed by the Epilogue for both stories.  
> However, chronologically for Ianto the next story is Returning to the Company (which will be posted soon) and that will be the next story if you follow the Awaiting Universe series link. I will put Puck the Cupid and the Epilogue into the Awaiting Universe series at the appropriate times.


End file.
